Food, scoreboard-checking more entertaining than game at Parkland

Parkland has the best football pressbox -- by far -- when it comes to food. I don't do Kegger awards for football, but if I did, the award for best pressbox would be a no-brainer and I think most of my media colleagues would agree.

Bologna and cheese, cold shrimp, turkey sandwiches, creampuffs and other pastries for dessert, a vegetable tray... I'm sure I'm missing something but you get the idea. It's like going to a picnic, not a football game.

This is not just for the media, but for everyone who wanders near the box, and believe me, it's amazing how many people just happen to pop in at halftime.

Let's just say the menu was more attractive tonight than the football game at Parkland. I could hear the people who paid for this one shaking their heads and saying "We paid six bucks for this?"

It became evident within the first six minutes that Parkland was a much better team than Wallenpaupack.

Matter of fact, everyone in the Lehigh Valley Conference except possibly Allen and Dieruff would have beaten the Buckhorns and even the Canaries and Huskies could have battled Wallenpaupack on fairly even terms.

So, with the game in Orefield decided early, it was much more interesting to see all of the scores come in via Tweeter. There were some close games out there and it was nice to see Emmaus and Whitehall get wins since both have good teams that are probably better than their record would indicate. The Eastern Conference final between them will be a rematch of a down-to-the-wire battle between them that I covered a few weeks ago.

Not overly surprised by Central's one-sided win over Southern Lehigh or Easton's dominance of Nazareth. Northwestern also fought hard and came through with an Eastern Conference win.

But like Lehigh Valley Conference fans, I was stunned by the dominant performance by East Stroudsburg South. I am not surprised ESS won, but I am surprised by how much.

Even though they won six games, this Liberty team not could find its stride and offered a reminder that just because you have a talented quarterback and a Division I receiver, you need quality lines to compete. These Hurricanes just didn't have it up front like recent Liberty teams had it. That was clear at North Penn in Week 1 and clear again tonight.

These Cavs are not your standard Mountain Valley Conference team. It may be the best MVC team since James Mungro was wearing purple. They could win the district title. At this point, it wouldn't shock anyone.

Parkland will be in for a war, and frankly, because the Trojans still lack a consistent passing attack, I believe they are the decided underdogs in that game next week. I don't know if a steady diet of Andre Williams (No. 44, below) and solid defense will be enough.

I think you're looking at a Easton-ESS rematch in two weeks. The same two met at Cottingham Stadium on Labor Day weekend and will likely do it again on Thanksgiving weekend.

(Don't think the Trojans will get to do a lot of celebrating next week like Kellen McCants, 3, is doing above).

Either way, congrats to Jim Morgans on his 200th win. Jim had a rough go at CCHS in his first stint from 1976-81, but got a second chance and made the most of it. He always passes the credit around to his coaches and his players.

He likes this team. It's not a pretty team, not a lot of flashiness except, of course, from Williams and even he is more about power than dekes. Jim likes this team's blue-collar work-ethic. I just don't know if that will be enough because ESS is very good and will be very motivated. MVC teams always have a chip on their shoulder when they play LVC teams, especially LVC teams that were once in that league -- like Parkland.

As for Wallenpaupack, their coach Mark Watson seems like a nice guy. They seemed to just be happy to be here, even as miserable as the weather was along the banks of the Northeast Extension. The Buckhorns, God bless them, were just awful early and by the time they settled down, it was 42-0. Still there were plenty of smiles as they headed off the field and got ready for a two-hour ride home.

Watson was very complimentary toward the Trojans, saying "That's a heck of a team. They're so fast."

Wallenpaupack played better in the second half against Parkland's second string and that's the only reason the stats are even remotely respectable for the 7-4 District 2 entry.

So, for me, now it's on to Northern Lehigh tonight for me for a 2A quarterfinal round game. I can't even tell you the last time I covered a Salisbury football game. It may be 15, 20 years.

Forget the food, just a seat inside the box will be nice. Once upon a time, the folks in Slatington were very passionate about their Bulldogs. We'll see if that love affair still exists.

Current Comments

Fans at NL would be excited if the school were known as Slatington Area, same thing is true at Saucon. Saucon should = Hellertown Area. For that matter, Dieruff should always have been East Allentown High School .

Posted By: Why-Why Wicki | Nov 14, 2009 7:45:11 PM

I hate to admit it , but there's a lot less excitement to the Eastern Conference . It's great to keep the team together for a few extra weeks . Not one of Emmaus' better performances last night . Although I did think DelVal was stronger than last year when they came down for a first round District matchup . In any case , it's nice to see their Coach doing well . I alway's enjoy catching up with a Penn Stater ! Now on to a Homecoming rematch . If only we could get the Eastern Conference final pushed back six day's !!

Posted By: CHEK | Nov 14, 2009 8:09:42 PM

Keith, where are your NFL pix?? Just a word to your readers----go opposite more on the totals than the side! Come on Kegger, get 'em on, there's less than 2 hrs!

Posted By: rico | Nov 15, 2009 11:11:53 AM

Thanks again for the comments about Allen and Dieruff. We appreciate being reminded OVER and OVER again how weak our teams are.

Posted By: huskypride86 | Nov 17, 2009 11:24:39 AM

huskypride86 i
I have a question.People always talk about our losing attitude at Dieruff that needs to change for us to be successful.Dont you think the way people talk about us add into that too?

I went to a basketball game at Parkland last year only to be told by some kids that my school is a piece of s**t and will never win anything.I yelled back saying that at least im at an away game,parents were saying how disrespectful I was for the comment! the other schools and parents add to the feeling of underachieving.whether you believe it not LV.

Posted By: dieruff09 | Nov 17, 2009 2:39:31 PM

dieruff09...i hear ya, believe me. My daughter also graduated in 2009 from Dieruff and I was at the Parkland game too. We had to let the kids from Dieruff (the students) stand in front of us to cheer because there were Parkland parents sitting on OUR side of the gym and them complained the entire time that our kids were standing to cheer. They even went and got security to make them sit down. Meanwhile, it is ok for thier kids to stand up and cheer. You know, my only way to feel better is we do not even say Parkland in our house, only the P word and when I go to games (football or basketball) at that school, I pay in all change!! After all, us Dieruff people are poor ya know..LOL. I will always be a husky!! We do get a lot of crap about who we are but we have more pride than anyother school i know.

Posted By: huskypride86 | Nov 17, 2009 8:54:01 PM

I was one of those student who they told to sit down.There was about 10 of us who went to that game and the parkland people on the away side said how disrespectful we were.and i believe my junior year they played at our place and not many P-land people showed up.the stereotype that people have of Dieruff kids adds to the problem.Its sad that people from Parkland,Emmaus,etc. are the first ones to say that Dieruff needs help to fix things yet when Dieruff students enter their school to support them they are hounded by security and talked down to while being disrespected by those same people who "want" change.

Posted By: dieruff09 | Nov 17, 2009 11:18:48 PM

dieruff09
so you were probably one of the young students that my husband and I told to come over and stand in front of us, we were fine with it. Just to let you know, we enjoyed every minute of your cheering for your team, we were cheering too. It does get real old when we constantly hear how "bad" our kids are from the surbanites when if they only knew what their own kids were doing they would keep their mouths shut. No matter what we try to do, our kids get looked down upon. I have said it before and I will say it again, Dieruff has some of the best kids in the area, it is just sad that some people don't take the time to actually talk to these kids and hear them. We are not thugs as many make us out to be. I will always bleed blue and gray. GO HUSKIES!!!

Posted By: huskypride86 | Nov 18, 2009 10:34:05 PM

Yes I was.Thank you for standing up and letting us do our thing.I just remember being told that we could stand in front of the parents.I hated being disrespected by other schools but it just made me appreciate where I went to school and brought out my pride moreso.Go HUSKIES.